The Conservative government is refusing to discuss the deportation of Cindor Reeves, the brother-in-law-turned-informant against former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor.

Cindor Reeves, the 38-year-old brother-in-law of former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, is widely credited with taking down the former dictator and stopping the trade in blood diamonds. (Feb. 8, 2011)

By:Tonda MacCharlesOttawa Bureau, Published on Wed Feb 09 2011

OTTAWA—The Conservative government on Wednesday refused to discuss the deportation of Cindor Reeves, the brother-in-law-turned-informant against former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor.

“Government lawyers have instructed us in writing not to comment on this case,” said Alykhan Velshi, communications director for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

The Immigration and Refugee Board has denied Reeves asylum here, concluding he “aided and abetted” the commission of crimes by Taylor, who ran Liberia from 1997 to 2003.

Reeves had been placed under a witness protection program by the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, which Canada supported as a venue for trying war criminals.

In a lengthy decision issued in January, the Immigration and Refugee Board questioned Reeves’ motivation and concluded he “tailored his evidence” to prove his involvement with the regime was due to the need to expose Taylor, who is on trial before the International Tribunal at The Hague.

The Conservative parliamentary secretary for immigration suggested privacy considerations barred any public discussion of the effort to deport Reeves, despite the fact Reeves’ effort to stay made headlines on the CBC and in the Star this week.

“He hasn’t given us the permission to speak,” said Kenney’s parliamentary secretary Rick Dykstra. “In terms of how things are processed within Citizenship and Immigration, everyone gets a fair hearing, everyone has opportunity for appeals. We have a process in place. It’s probably one of the fairest in the world. And you know, from that perspective, we can speak from a general outlook, but certainly don’t want to get into the details of the case.”

Reeves came to the Toronto area with his wife and children from Germany in 2006. He has already applied for leave to the Federal Court of Canada for a judicial review of the refugee board decision.

On Wednesday, Associated Press reported the former Liberian president boycotted his war crimes trial proceedings this week.

Taylor claims his trial is politically motivated and unfair.

Taylor’s British lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths, stormed out of the courtroom Tuesday after judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone refused to accept his 600-page summary of the case — a key document that distills three years of testimony from the perspective of the defence.

Taylor briefly stayed in his seat but later refused to return to the courtroom after a break.

The three international judges ordered the proceedings to continue, and Judge Richard Lussick of Samoa was visibly angry at what he called Taylor’s attempt to dictate to the court.

Taylor is accused of arming and supporting murderous rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone in exchange for illegally mined diamonds. He has pleaded innocent to 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and using child soldiers.

The tribunal refused Monday to accept Griffiths’ final brief because it was filed after the Jan. 14 deadline.

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